Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt (TV Series 1974–1977) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt 30min Selwyn Froggitt, a well read clumsy buffoon smashes his way through his sleepy Yorkshire village of Scarsdale in these 30 minute 1970's comedies. Starring Bill Maynard in the title role, he...

See full summary » Creators: a list of 59 titles created 20 Sep 2012 a list of 160 titles created 13 Nov 2013 a list of 33 titles created 22 Mar 2014 a list of 2127 titles created 15 May 2014 a list of 23 titles created 30 May 2015 Title: Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt (1974–1977) 7.5/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Add Image Add an image Do you have any images for this title? BBC Television comedy detailing the fortunes of Reginald Iolanthe Perrin. Disillusioned after a long career at Sunshine Desserts, Perrin goes through a mid-life crisis and fakes his own ...

See full summary » Stars: Leonard Rossiter, Pauline Yates, John Barron Three old men from Yorkshire who have never grown up face the trials of their fellow town citizens and everyday life and stay young by reminiscing about the days of their youth and attempting feats not common to the elderly. Stars: Peter Sallis, Jane Freeman, Kathy Staff The adventures of two "likely lads" ostensibly set in the North East of England (but filmed in Willesden Junction, London). Terry and Bob have been friends since childhood. Bob is the ... See full summary » Stars: James Bolam, Rodney Bewes, Don McKillop Terry and Bob from The Likely Lads (1964) continue their life after Terry arrives home from serving in the Army to discover that Bob is about to marry his girlfriend Thelma. Can Thelma lead... See full summary » Stars: James Bolam, Rodney Bewes, Brigit Forsyth Martin is a committee man. He has numerous schemes and committees organised around the neighbourhood. He is so obsessive about every detail of everything he does he is driving his long ...

See full summary » Stars: Richard Briers, Penelope Wilton, Peter Egan The perils of "escaping the rat race" and dropping out of society - to start a farm in Surbiton (and to drive Margo nuts). Stars: Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith Audrey fforbes-Hamilton is sad when her husband dies but is shocked when she realises that she has to leave Grantleigh Manor where her family has lived forever. The new owner is Richard De ... See full summary » Stars: Penelope Keith, Peter Bowles, Angela Thorne A working-class Cockney bigot with a biased and expirienced opinion of everything shares them bluntly and almost carelessly. Stars: Warren Mitchell, Anthony Booth, Una Stubbs Alf and Elsie are getting old, Rita's left home, Elsie's confined to a wheelchair. Alf must now do battle with the Social Security system. Stars: Warren Mitchell, Carmel McSharry, Arthur English Popular sitcom set in a seedy bedsit lorded over by the mean, vain, boastful, cowardly landlord Rigsby. In each episode, his conceits are debunked by his long suffering tenants.

Stars: Leonard Rossiter, Don Warrington, Frances de la Tour Hamish Macbeth is a police constable in the small Scottish town of Lochdubh, who occasionally bends the rules when it suits him or when it can help some of his fellow eccentric townsfolk. ... See full summary » Stars: Robert Carlyle, Ralph Riach, Brian Pettifer Edit Storyline Selwyn Froggitt, a well read clumsy buffoon smashes his way through his sleepy Yorkshire village of Scarsdale in these 30 minute 1970's comedies. Starring Bill Maynard in the title role, he creates this loveable Oaf perfectly, cushioned by a terrific supporting cast of character actors. Referring to The Times supplement for his knowledgeable information, with shovel in hand his schemes and plans create a fitting end to every episode. Disaster ! Written by peter cownley 30 September 1974 (UK) See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia Bill Maynard based the character of Selwyn Froggitt on a real-life friend of his, Peter Wright, who lives in Maynard's home town of Sapcote, Leicestershire.

See more » Quotes The Past Is Another Country... 1 November 2009 | by bml84 (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews Finally released on DVD is a series I found hilarious as a child. This and 'Some Mothers'and 'The Goodies' were the height of comedy for an 8 year old (I caught the repeats). Man Child Selwyn, well meaning but a walking disaster area, creates mayhem despite the best of intentions and goodwill. Maynard actually saves the show with a powerhouse performance of energy, attacking unexceptional scripts with gusto and delivering a well balanced performance injected with physical comedy. Watching as an adult, its hard to miss the bleakness of the show though. Looking at it post Eighties it shows a narrow way of life and outlook, peopled with characters of limited horizons. The Pilot Episode shows why some characters were wisely changed: The office characters (with their sexual overtones)wisely discarded, the Mother greatly softened and the homosexual suggestions of the older brother removed with the introduction of a girlfriend. Looking at this episode the Family seem like a bunch of genetic misfits.

Selwyn should be a sad case, a socially inept, stupid middle aged man with no love life(ever) but Maynard, as stated, saves this situation remarkably. Perhaps most interestingly, it shows a certain outlook and lifestyle that would be lost forever after the defeat of the 1984 Miners Strike. Or perhaps it simply lost out to progress itself. Whether it was worth preserving is something you can judge better for yourself by watching this series. 7 of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes The Gaffer (TV Series 1981–1983) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends.

Error a list of 231 titles created 14 Nov 2011 a list of 34 titles created 26 Jul 2013 a list of 33 titles created 22 Mar 2014 a list of 2127 titles created 15 May 2014 a list of 43 titles created 07 Sep 2014 Search for " The Gaffer " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Title: The Gaffer (1981–1983) 7.8/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Add Image Add an image Do you have any images for this title? Ken Boon and Harry Crawford are two middle-aged ex-firemen who start out in business together, initially in Birmingham and later in Nottingham. During the seven series (1986-1992), Ken ... See full summary » Stars: Michael Elphick, David Daker, Neil Morrissey A satire show using puppets that are charicatures of major public figures.

Stars: Steve Nallon, Kate Robbins, Chris Barrie Alf and Elsie are getting old, Rita's left home, Elsie's confined to a wheelchair. Alf must now do battle with the Social Security system. Stars: Warren Mitchell, Carmel McSharry, Arthur English Comedy about two rival antique dealers. Stars: Donald Sinden, Windsor Davies, Derek Deadman Comic goings on in this series set in an English holiday camp called Maplins. The title comes from the camp's greeting, which the staff are meant to say with enthusiasm but all too often ... See full summary » Stars: Paul Shane, Ruth Madoc, Jeffrey Holland John Lacey comes home one evening to discover a letter from his wife (starting with "Dear John" - hence the title) telling him that she is leaving him. Lonely and now divorced, the series ... See full summary » Stars: Ralph Bates, Peter Blake, Peter Denyer Terry and Bob from The Likely Lads (1964) continue their life after Terry arrives home from serving in the Army to discover that Bob is about to marry his girlfriend Thelma. Can Thelma lead...

See full summary » Stars: James Bolam, Rodney Bewes, Brigit Forsyth The adventures of two "likely lads" ostensibly set in the North East of England (but filmed in Willesden Junction, London). Terry and Bob have been friends since childhood. Bob is the ... See full summary » Stars: James Bolam, Rodney Bewes, Don McKillop A working-class Cockney bigot with a biased and expirienced opinion of everything shares them bluntly and almost carelessly. Stars: Warren Mitchell, Anthony Booth, Una Stubbs The adventures of a gang of British workmen abroad. Combines black and white humour with moments of drama, poignancy and drunkenness. In series 1, the lads head to Germany seeking work, and... See full summary » Stars: Timothy Spall, Jimmy Nail, Tim Healy BBC Television comedy detailing the fortunes of Reginald Iolanthe Perrin. Disillusioned after a long career at Sunshine Desserts, Perrin goes through a mid-life crisis and fakes his own ...

See full summary » Stars: Leonard Rossiter, Pauline Yates, John Barron Selwyn Froggitt, a well read clumsy buffoon smashes his way through his sleepy Yorkshire village of Scarsdale in these 30 minute 1970's comedies. Starring Bill Maynard in the title role, he... See full summary » Stars: Bill Maynard, Megs Jenkins, Robert Keegan 9 January 1981 (UK) See more » Company Credits (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews The Gaffer. That's a good old fashioned term for the boss.This is what the programme was, a good old fashioned working mans down to earth comedy. Very well scripted and the cast all seem to be having so much fun. Very clever plot lines and a social statement of the need to juggle a small business to keep it all going.You have to admire Bill Maynard here as it's all based around him and he is in almost every scene.I think we all know a person like the gaffer ,just takes it all in his stride and gets on. 3 series probably just about right as any more would probably have over stretched it. Still seems as fresh now as it was 35 years ago.

Modern writers could take a look at this to see how to write a proper sit-com. No vulgarity or coarse language and would like to see any of todays so called comedy writers do anything half as good.Bought this as a 3 DVD set so I can enjoy it in another 35 years when it will probably still look fresh. 0 of 0 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Oh No It's Selwyn Froggit - The Complete Series DVD: Amazon.co.uk: Bill Maynard, Megs Jenkins, Robert Keegan: DVD & Blu-ray Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images ? Product Description ''Hey, it's brilliant this, isn't it? I'm on a DVD! That's me on the front cover! And there's our mam up there... and Ray from the club: I'll have a pint o'cookin' and a bag of nuts, our Raymond! Oh, he can't hear me. There's our Maurice an' all - hey our Maurice, where's Vera? And there's Jack on the end, he doesn t look too happy does he? He's on the committee, like I am.

Anyway, I'll have to go now, I've got the Times Literary Supplement to read... it's great, you get three and a book on Sundays! Magic!'' Bill Maynard stars as the council labourer, hapless handyman and all-round public nuisance in this classic Yorkshire Television sitcom from the pen of award-winning writer Alan Plater (Beiderbecke). Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt boasts a regular supporting cast featuring Bill Dean (Brookside) - who also wrote lyrics for each show's theme song - and Robert Keegan (Z Cars), and remained a firm favourite with the viewing public throughout its two-year run, establishing Bill Maynard as a household name. This release brings together all three series of Oh No, It s Selwyn Froggitt along with the final series Selwyn and the original pilot episode from 1974. Sponsored Products Related To This Item (What's this?) Bill Maynard Please login or join for full access.

| Login | Join | This is an 'unofficial' fan site for Bill Maynard The British Actor/Comedian The official Bill Maynard website (as of December 2013) can be found at: The following information has been compiled and presented here for your interest and for reference. Though this picture of Bill's life is comprehensive there are still gaps and undoubtedly a few errors. If you can help with further information please contact us . To join this fan club and receive an email whenever a new piece of Bill Maynard information is discovered, click the join link above. To donate a piece of Bill Maynard memorabilia contact us with the details of your donation. To send fan mail to the man himself write to: The Richard Stone Partnership , Suite 3, De Walden Court, 85 New Cavendish Street, London, W1W 6XD, England, UK. If you want a reply you must send a properly stamped, self-addressed envelope (use International Reply Coupons if you live outside the UK). Bill Maynard Bill Maynard was born Walter Frederick George Williams on October 8, 1928.

Birthplace: 5 Oak Cottages, Heath End, Farnham, Surrey, England, UK. (This was his mother's parents address and where his mother was born.) [ awaiting photo of this address ] He is the only child of Walter Charles Williams (father - ex-military) and Edith Maud (mother - laundry worker). He is 6' 1" (1.83 m) tall. Bill is a vegetarian and has diabetes. His favourite music genre is Country, but he is also very fond of Jazz. His favourite music artist is Joe Cocker . Boyhood Born into a poor family, he lived in Leicestershire, England, UK for many years. The family moved many times, living in the Leicestershire villages of Wigston, South Wigston (Timber Street), Wigston Magna, Wigston Fields and Great Glen. He also spent some of his childhood on Arnold Avenue, Jordan Avenue and Lansdowne Grove of Hooley's Estate (AKA: Rat Alley), where the rats outnumbered the people, in South Wigston, Leicestershire (next to the council tip).

[ awaiting dates/addresses/photos ] The family dog, a half-bred Jack Russell terrier bitch, was called Gyp. He lost the middle finger on his right hand in a childhood accident, aged approximately three, when he got it caught in the gears of a mangle while trying to distract his mother. Bill's first public performance as an entertainer came in 1937 at the tender age of eight when he sang Leaning on a Lampost , his first ever public song, and other George Formby songs at the South Wigston Working Men's Club, Blaby Road, Wigston, Leicestershire, England, UK. The booked act (or "turn" as they are known) that night hadn't turned up, so when they asked if anyone in the audience would like to do a turn his father suggested he have a go. Opening the stage to the audience this way is known as a "free and easy". After his performance Bill said to his father, "I just love it. I want to be a star, Dad.", but that was going to have to wait because the next day he was taken off to hospital (or sanatorium as it was known in those days) for four months with scarlet fever.

It was Bill's dad who encouraged him to be a performer, his mother was never keen on the idea. His father bought him his first musical instrument, a ukulele, and later used the profits from Bill's performances to pay for lessons and buy other instruments. During those early years Bill went to tap dancing lessons, singing lessons, guitar lessons and mandolin lessons, to name but a few. Also at the age of eight Bill did some work for a traveling circus in nearby towns. Aged nine, Bill (billed as: Little Billy Williams, Leicester's Own George Formby) performed his very first paid gig as a professional entertainer at the Aylestone Working Men's Club, 305 Saffron Lane, Leicester, England, UK. He was paid the same amount that his father earned for a full days work, who was working as an assistant gardener. Over the years Bill built-up a repertoire of nine acts each lasting between ten and twelve minutes and one night at the Leicester Railwaymen's Club, East Park Road, Leicester, England, UK, he performed all nine.

His acts included: a George Formby act, an army act, an act as a QC (lawyer), an act dressed in drag, a cowboy act and an act of Neapolitan love songs. One of his acts was a monologue called Little Rosa , a morbid piece which left the audience in tears. Bill also sang songs including, Paddlin' Madeline Home and I'm My Own Grandpa . Bill was also known as: Little Billy Williams -The Boy in the Velvet Suit, and later he would be billed as: Bill Williams - The Wizard of the Banjolele. At the age of ten Billy, as he was then known, started to breed rabbits for their meat and fur to help with the family income, but his professional career as an entertainer was taking off and rabbit breading was proving too time consuming. Just before starting Grammar School (aged eleven) Bill was hospitalised again, this time with kidney problems, which lead to him having one of his kidneys removed. Later in his life Bill did charitable work for several kidney research and support organisations.

He attended: Kibworth Beauchamp Grammar School , School Road, Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire, England, UK from 1939 to 1944. (!) [ awaiting exact dates/class photo/info of other schools ] By the age of eleven or twelve Bill was earning 35 shillings a week (£1.75 GBP) on the local Working Men's Club circuit, which was more than his father earned working as an assistant gardener. It was while traveling between Leicester and Sheffield that Bill lost his virginity to a girl (fellow performer - contortionist) who was three or four years older than him. It happened on the back seat of a car on their way home from a performance. With Bill's extra income the family were eventually able to buy their own motor car, a 1912 Singer , which cost twelve pounds ten in old British money. At Grammar School Bill was a member of the soccer team and also won an athletic trophy. He signed for the local YMCA team and later began playing inside-right for Leicester City FC's junior team after being spotted by a scout.

Don Revie (former England manager) was also part of the junior team and he later introduced Bill to Jackie Charlton (World Cup winner 1966) who became one of Bill's closest friends. Bill's coach at Leicester City was Sep Smith. Bill left Leicester City FC to play for semi-pro club Kettering Town FC (!) , as it paid his expenses, unlike Leicester, but Bill's career in football was cut short at the age of seventeen when he received a 'divided cruciate ligament' injury to his right leg during a training session. In those days this irreparable knee injury meant an instant end to any football aspirations. Later in life Bill became a regular player at charity cricket matches, where he showed that the sportsman within him had never faded. Bill excelled in English at school, but flunked everything else, so left school with no qualifications. He had a schoolboy crush on his English teacher Miss Hern and he can still recite the french poem La Feuille (The Leaf) , taught to him by his French teacher. With his soccer career coming to an unexpected and abrupt end Bill turned his hand to many different jobs.

Most of these jobs were in sales, but he also worked as a coalman and as an assistant buyer for a Leicester wholesalers, where he met his first wife Muriel. Eventually Bill landed a job in the electrical department of Lewis's Department Store, Humberstone Gate, Leicester, England, UK. (The building has since been demolished.) Spouses Bill married Muriel Linnett (1930 - June 1983) on November 5, 1949 at St John the Baptist Church, Clarendon Park Road, Leicester, England, UK. They honeymooned in Bournemouth, England, UK, and had two children Martin Williams (born 1951 - later known as Maynard Williams) and Jane Maynard (born 1954). [ awaiting exact dates/photos ] They met when they both worked for the same Leicester wholesalers, before Bill started his job at Lewis's. Muriel, approximately 5' 7" (1.524 m) tall, had served in the Wrens (Women's Royal Naval Service) before working with Bill.

After Muriel's death Bill sold some of her jewellery and with the £10,000 (GBP) that it raised he bid in a charity auction to name a new rose after her. The money went to the Save the Children charity and the new rose, named Muriel, was cultivated - Their daughter Jane went to the naming ceremony at the Royal Chelsea Flower Show. [ awaiting date ] On September 4, 1989 Bill married, Belgian singer, Tonia Bern-Campbell (widow of Donald Campbell) at Hinckley Registry Office, followed by a honeymoon in Jersey. They did divorce, as he said in an interview in The Daily Express about his time in Heartbeat. [ awaiting confirmation ] Tonia and Bill had been acquainted back in the late 1950s when she had been a guest on Mostly Maynard and she and Bill had had an affaire. Tonia is now a multitalented star in her own right, she has achieved far too much to list here, but if you would like to know more about Tonia check-out her website at .

Both having their own careers meant they didn't see much of each other during their married life, as Bill's work was in the UK and Tonia's in the USA. Moving Up By 1949 Bill's parents had become the steward and stewardess of the South Knighton Working Men's Club, 189 Avenue Road Extension, Leicester, England, UK, where Bill and Muriel lived until after the birth of their first child, Martin. [ was the address the same in 1949? ] Bill's big break came in 1951when his former manager Barry Wood suggested he go to London for an audition to appear at Butlins Holiday Camp, Skegness. Bill was offered the job, but was going to decline the offer, as it represented a cut in pay. On returning home from the audition his wife Muriel talked him into taking the job and his professional career was on the move, even if it was as 'second assistant feed' - the 'top-liner' was Terry Scott, who later became Bill's partner in the TV series Great Scott, It's Maynard.

After his debut at Butlins, Bill returned to Lewis's Department Store, Leicester and was promoted from an electrical salesman to a carpet salesman. He also appeared in the pantomime Aladdin, at the Regent Theatre, Hayes, Middlesex, England, UK, for two weeks in December 1951. Bill, along with Terry Scott were back at Butlins the following year, but this time at the Filey Camp in North Yorkshire, England, UK. Bill's first ever venture overseas was a trip to Germany in 1953 ? with Jon Pertwee , touring British army bases in a show called Tear 'Em Up. It was during this trip that Bill visited a German barber's shop for a hair cut and ended up with not just a trim, but a full crew cut - a style which he grew to like and made part of his 'image'. Bill enjoyed touring overseas and would later travel to the Middle East, Kenya, Malaysia and the Persian Gulf, among others. The final piece of Bill's trademark stand-up act came from a girl named Kay, she was a singer with a group called The Kordites .

One night while performing at the Theatre Royal, Longbrook Street, Exeter, England, UK, Kay suggest that Bill should wear his baggy sweater on stage instead of his pristine suit. A look that would have Bill labeled 'The Sweater Boy' by the media and would later be copied by other great entertainers, and Leicester knitwear designer John Carr Doughty would begin to manufacture sweaters under Bill's autograph. In 1952 at 24 years old, Bill started working at The Windmill Theatre, 17-19 Greater Windmill Street, Soho, London, England, UK. He also worked at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Coventry Street, Soho, London, England and the Astor Club, Mayfair, London, England at the same time. While working in the Soho area of London he shared a flat above the Beaufort Club, Lisle Street, and bought himself a white Chevrolet Drop-Head Coupe motorcar. Later he shared a flat with five female dancers, who were also performing at the Prince of Wales Theatre in a show called 'Folies Bergere', in Upper Barkeley Street.

By the end of his time at The Windmill Theatre (1954), Bill had become one of (if not) the highest paid comics ever to perform there, earning £100 (GBP) a week. In December 1952 (during his time at The Windmill Theatre) Bill made his first radio broadcast on a show called 'Up & Coming'. Bill was also booked on the BBC radio shows: 'Midday Music Hall', 'Variety Playhouse', 'Variety Bandbox', 'Workers' Playtime' and 'Garrison Theatre'. However, after his initial interview at the Aeolian Hall, 135-137 New Bond Street, London, England, UK, the BBC were worried that 'Billy Williams' would be too confusing for their accounts department, who were already in a muddle with all the Williams's on their books, so they asked him to change his name, and after seeing a billboard outside Piccadilly Circus underground station in London advertising Maynard's Wine Gums he decided that he liked the sound of 'Bill Maynard'. The BBC were also happy with it and so it was.

[ awaiting exact date ] Bill's first TV appearance came in 1953 when he performed on Henry Hall's 'Face the Music' show, but the show was stolen that night by a new comedienne named Sally Barnes. Determined not to be upstaged again, Bill brought out a chimpanzee, at the end of his performance of 'My Son, My Son... ? ', for his appearance on 'Garrison Theatre', another live TV show (taken from radio), and overnight he became a national star. Bill and Muriel had their second child, Jane in 1954 and by this time Bill had helped his parents move to a pub, The Bower Inn, 81 Coventry Street, Leicester, England, UK. (!) When you think of catchphrases you probably think Sir Bruce Forsyth (also born in 1928), but did you know that Bill Maynard coined the phrase, 'When you're in, you're in', which was repeated over and over again by members of the public up and down the country for over a decade.

He came-up with his catchphrase while working with his old friend Terry Scott on their TV show Great Scott, It's Maynard in 1955-56 - A comedy show made-up of individual sketches and acts, with Bill and Terry as the presenters as well as contributors of their own unique styles. At the time some thought/hoped that Bill and Terry would become a double act, but both entertainers were keen to pursue their own paths rather than amalgamate into one. Bill was now at the very top of the ladder, earning an incredible £1000 (GBP) a week. The money wasn't all from the TV show, in fact he was only paid £40 (GBP) by the BBC (later £60 GBP), but the rest of the money was certainly as a direct result of the show, which helped bring in those lucrative bookings. Bill & Terry Scott were featured in the April 6, 1956 issue of the Radio Times magazine. Bill & Terry Scott were also featured in the December 15, 1956 issue of TV Mirror magazine, along with Ted Heath, Jean Carson and other stars of the day.

In 1957 Bill & Terry were featured, along with Shirley Eaton, on the cover of the very first T.V. Fun Annual , published by the same London publisher as the T.V. Fun weekly. Sometime in the late 1950s Bill bought a house (bungalow) in Fleet Road (near the railway station), Fleet, Hampshire, England, UK. [ awaiting dates, address, photos ] The home is remembered by Richard Barker (a former pupil at All Saints C of E Junior School and brief acquaintance of Bill's son Martin) as one of the first in the area to have a shower. (!) Also in the late 1950s Bill's son, Martin, briefly attended All Saints C of E Junior School, Leawood Road, Fleet, Hampshire, England, UK, (!) before starting St Paul's School, Burgh-le-Marsh, Lincolnshire, England, UK. [ awaiting dates ] Three years later daughter Jane started Morcott Hall School, Morcott, Leicestershire, England, UK.

[ awaiting dates ] Wanting to go-it-alone, it was Bill who pulled the plug on Great Scott, It's Maynard and persuaded the BBC to make his new show Mostly Maynard. Unfortunately Bill's new show was a disaster, for a variety of reasons, and it was axed after the first series. By this time Bill wanted to move-on from being a comedian to pursue his ambition of becoming an actor, so he demanded that his agent Richard Stone find him a role in a play. Believing that Bill was best suited to stand-up Richard sent him the worst possible play he could find, You Too Can Have a Body, but in collaboration with the plays writer, Fred Robinson, they turned the play into a smash hit. The play opened at the Connaught Theatre, Union Place, Worthing, East Sussex, England, UK and was quickly asked to be performed in the West End at the Victoria Palace Theatre, Victoria Street, London, England, UK. Bill has owned many motorcars throughout his life, at his home in Fleet, Bill had a Studebaker President, an Austin Healey Le Mans drophead, and a Standard 10 saloon (for Muriel).

[ awaiting years/colours ] In 1956, after braking down on the way to his summer show in Waymouth, Bill met garage owner John Sussex of Hursley, Hampshire, England, UK. Bill later asked John to build him a tailor-made sports car. Known as the 'Maynard Special' (reg./lic. plate: BM 11), the car was only ever used for publicity purposes as it was unsafe on the roads. (In 1975 John Sussex founded: JJ Sussex (Hursley) Limited, whom were still in business until 2010 at 105 St Peters Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, UK) [ awaiting further information ] Another of Bill's many cars was a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow II finished in Willow Gold which he sold in the year 2000. While appearing at the Empire Theatre in Glasgow, Bill was invited to be guest of honour at the Glasgow Masonic Ball, but after an evening of being pestered by a woman who had taken a fancy to his extravagant hat, Bill was arrested for assault after punching her husband.

In the early 1960s most of Bill's better paid gigs dried up in the UK, so he headed out to Australia, initially for three weeks, but ended up staying five months after falling for the redheaded Australian jazz singer ???? . In Australia Bill appeared at the Embers Club, Toorak Road, Melbourne, South Yarra, Victoria, and on the TV show 'In Melbourne Tonight'. He also presented You Too Can Have a Body on Australian TV. {1/96-103} After returning from Australia Bill did several small gigs, including playing Lord Lister in The Chiltern Hundreds, before being offered a permanent spot at the old Nottingham Playhouse, Goldsmith Street, Nottingham, England, UK, where he performed in various roles. In 1962 the Inland Revenue demanded a payment of around £70,000 (GBP) for unpaid taxes - an amount Bill simply didn't have. While Bill had been on top and earning huge amounts he had been spending on cars, gambling and living the high life. More recently his gigs hadn't even been covering his expenses, so his savings had all but evaporated.

First Bill sold his cars, the Studebaker, Austin Healey and Muriel's Standard 10 were all sold. Then all their other possessions and finally the house. Bill and Muriel had nothing and they still owed the Inland Revenue £17,000 (GBP). It was looking like bankruptcy was the only option for Bill, but Muriel was determined that they would pay off the debt. The Inland Revenue agreed that Bill could pay the rest of the money in installments, so Bill and Muriel moved-in with Muriel's aunt Elsie back in Leicester and started to work like they had never worked before. Not wanting to upset their children, Bill and Muriel took-on as much work as they could to scrape together enough money for a deposit on a house before their children came home from boarding school. After months of hard work Bill and Muriel had saved £300 (GBP), which they used as a deposit to buy a small semi-detached house in Cook's Lane, Sapcote, Leicestershire, England, UK, from Muriel's cousin for £2,600 (GBP).

Bill continued to work at the old Nottingham Playhouse appearing in plays such as: - The Taming of the Shrew as Grumio - Loot as Inspector Truscott - Harvey as Elwood P Dowd - The Entertainer as Archie Rice On December 11, 1963 the new Nottingham Playhouse, East Circus Street, Nottingham, England, UK opened and for a while Bill continued to appear there. After a short time Bill went to Canterbury to appear in Semi-Detached, a play which he later brought back to the new Nottingham Playhouse. After that Bill was cast in The Mayor of Zalamea at the new Nottingham Playhouse. Today, the new Nottingham Playhouse, Wellington Circus, Nottingham, England, UK has a new address, but it is still the same building that was opened in 1963. In 1966 Bill played Justice Squeezum in Lock Up Your Daughters at the Palace Court Theatre, Hinton Road, Bournemouth, England, UK. He left the show in protest of the poor acting skills of former Miss World (1964) Ann Sidney who had been cast as Hilaret, Politic's daughter.

By the late 1960s Bill's career had reached its lowest ebb and Bill was forced to return to doing stand-up in the working men's clubs for his bread and butter. The plays and cabaret gigs had all but dried up. Bill's career as an entertainer was looking like it was over. Bill and his wife Muriel were offered jobs in New England, New Hampshire, USA, as butler, cook and housekeeper, after they had advertised for the position in an American newspaper. Just as they were about to leave the country, and entertaining, for good, a call came for Bill to appear at an audition to play the part of Bert in the film version of Till Death Us Do Part . Bill was offered the part putting an end to his plans of going to America to become a butler. While filming Till Death Us Do Part Bill managed to scrape together enough money to buy an old battered van. [ awaiting make, model, etc ] {1/170} During the time of the late 1960s early 1970s, at the lowest point of his career, Bill found great inspiration from Norman Vincent Peale's best selling book The Power of Positive Thinking.

From Norman's book, Bill strives to do each day one thing which he fears, no matter how small. He has also taught this philosophy to his family, friends and acquaintances. Bill isn't a religious person, per say, but he is a great believer in the old adage "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". The Christmas season of 1972 had Bill in the role of Jasper Snatchem in the pantomime Babes in the Wood at the London Palladium. The pantomime stared Edward Woodward as Robin Hood and Rod Hull and Emu. Bill hated this play and when more and more TV work started to roll in he got an old acquaintance ? to replace him. The success of the 1969 film version of Till Death Us Do Part brought Bill lots of new TV and Film appearances in the early 1970s. One of the biggest boosts to his floundering career came with the success of the 1971 show Paper Roses. In 1973 Bill was finally back at the top with his appearance in Kisses At Fifty.

Also in 1973 he worked with television actor and comedian Ronnie Barker in Spanner's Eleven which was part of a series called Seven of One. Despite appearing in several of the Carry On films, Bill is said to be baffled by their popularity. 1973 was also the year Bill appeared as the Baker in the Ridley Scott directed Hovis commercial, Bike Ride . A commercial which in 2006 was voted the favourite commercial of all time by the British public. While working on the pilot for The Life of Riley, which was named Happy Days and was never aired, Bill suggested calling the series Policy of Being Frank. At the time Bill's character Frank had no surname, but once the character became Frank Riley the title, The Life of Riley, was born. Bill came up with the idea to create a show set around a working men's club and he based his character, Selwyn Froggitt, on his close friend, Peter Wright , from his home village of Sapcote, Leicestershire. Peter with all his energy and exuberance had also inspired Bill's performance as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Nottingham Playhouse.

Peter was the man who, in real life, shouted the catchphrase 'Magic!' while sticking two thumbs up. A catchphrase which Bill used for Selwyn and then the whole country used for half a decade. Bill finally paid off his debt to the Inland Revenue in 1975/6. [ awaiting exact date ] In 1976 Bill appeared as the guest of honour for the celebrity switch-on of the foreshore illuminations in Skegness, Lincolnshire, England, UK. An event which had been started in 1953 - partly to mark the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and partly to emulate the seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK, which already had a similar event. Bill turned down the lead role of Arthur in the 1978 BBC TV series Pennies from Heaven, because of the amount of foul language in the original script, a role which was taken on by Bob Hoskins. Bill setup his own film company (around 1980), Charterhouse Films Limited, to allow him to make corporate videos and TV commercials for large companies such as Walkers, the crisp manufactures in Leicester, and Holt's, the motor spares manufacturer.

This also give Bill the chance to have a go at editing, producing and directing and add yet another feather to his cap. After having worked successfully with Yorkshire Television on Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt , Bill returned for the role of Fred Moffat in The Gaffer . Before taking the role however, Bill had one or two conditions - He wanted to meet the writer, Graham White, and he wanted to use a freeze frame technique which had never been used before on a British comedy series. The opening scene of each episode shows Bill's character, Fred Moffat, get into his car and throw a parking ticket onto the back seat which is filled with hundreds of other parking tickets, an idea which Bill had got from his son Martin who used to do a similar thing in real life. In The News Here are some newspaper and magazine stories we have found for Bill Maynard. Please let us know if you have any others and we will add them here: Saturday, January 17, 2015 - Sunday Express - Where are they now? Heartbeat actor Bill Maynard Politician In 1984, Maynard stood against Tony Benn in the by-election at Chesterfield as an Independent Labour candidate.

It was his only foray into politics and it was purely to try and prevent Benn winning the seat and thus re-entering Parliament. Benn won the seat; Bill took fourth place. Later in Life After his marriage, and honeymoon, to Tonia Bern-Campbell in 1989, Bill went to South Africa to make the movie Oddball Hall. A movie which was never released in UK cinemas and a movie which Bill thinks is atrocious. In 1990 Bill was contacted once again by Yorkshire Television, asking him to take a supporting role as a local rogue, poacher and petty villain in a new drama series called Heartbeat. Bill accepted the role of Claude Jeremiah Greengrass and set to work on creating the character. The trademark blinking, twitching and stuttering Bill replicated from an old acquaintance back in Leicester, while the clothes for Greengrass were copied from a guy Bill used to see on his visits to the greyhound track. Bill was forced to retire, temporarily, from acting in July 2000 after suffering a number of strokes, the latest one being while he was filming for Heartbeat.

His character Claude Greengrass was written out, mid-series, in such a way that he could return if his health improved: in the story, Claude moved to the West Indies to live with his sister, who won a lot of money and wanted to share it with him (Heartbeat: Safe House (S10E12) 2001). He returned to acting in 2003, playing the same character in The Royal, a spin-off from Heartbeat. It was set in a hospital and he was in bed a lot, but appeared to have recovered. Also in 2003 Bill was awarded the Yorkshire Arts and Entertainment Personality of the Year Award. On July 16, 2009 Bill received a Doctorate (honorary Doctor of Arts) from De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, England, UK, and he is hoping to soon receive a Professorship. Singer Bill's recording career started around 1953 when he recorded a song called Wolf On The Prowl with the B-Side Tani , but a week before the record was due to be released the record company, Planet Recordings, went bankrupt.

Between 1954 and 1956 Bill was featured on sheet music titles such as Mobile , Mambo Italiano , My Boy-Flat Top , Davy Crockett Is Helping Santa Claus and Hey Liley, Liley Lo . In 1956 Bill recorded the song Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo , but before its release it was also recorded as Hey Lilly , which was finally changed to Hey Liley, Liley, Lo . The flip-side was Who Needs You . According to Decca catalogue records, 'Who Needs You' is listed as the A-Side and 'Hey Liley, Liley, Lo' as the B-Side. The record failed to chart in the UK, but in South America Hey Liley, Liley, Lo was very popular and Bill was asked to record Lonely Road for the B-Side of the South American single. In 1959 The Beverley Sisters released the single The Little Drummer Boy . In the UK the record was released with "Strawberry Fair" on the B-Side, but in Germany the record was released with the song Riding Down From Bangor on the B-Side, which featured Bill Maynard.

The credit on the record reads: "The Beverley Sisters and Bill Maynard and his Guitar with the Ronald Shaw Orchestra". In 1970, along with his appearance in the British TV soup Coronation Street, Bill recorded the songs Dreaming Time (A-Side) and Moments Of Pleasure (B-Side), which featured in the show. In 1972 Bill performed two songs at the "Green Man" public house, 383 Euston Road, London, NW1 3AU, England, UK. Bill sang the old music hall songs: My Old Dutch and With My Little Wigge-Wagge In My Hand . Other performers that evening included: Annabelle Lee, Davilia David, John O'Flynn, Jean Wren, Betty Gilmore and Roy Kean, all performing old music hall numbers which were later released on the live Hallmark LP Old Tyme Music Hall . Bill was also the chairman for the evening, entertaining the crowd with his unmistakable humor between acts. In 1975 Bill recorded the single Pheasant Pluckers Son , with the B-Side She Was - a song written by his son Martin under his professional name Maynard Williams.

In March 1977 Bill recorded and released the single Without Someone To Love , which also appeared on the B-Side of The Gaffer soundtrack single in 1982. The B-Side of the original single was Move A Little Closer - another song written by Bill's son. Next came Stock Car Racing Is "Magic" in 1979, backed by Symphony For Stocks on the flip-side. Bill loved stock car racing and was a huge fan of Brisca F1, particularly at the Long Eaton Stadium, Station Road, Long Eaton, Derbyshire, England, UK. Bill was Master of Ceremonies for the Yorkshire Nationals in 1979 [ awaiting exact date and location ]. His second autobiography, Stand Up... And Be Counted: The Other Side of Greengrass was published in August 1997 (Breedon Books Publishing Co Ltd, Derby, England, UK) - Typing errors in this book (hard back first edition) Unfortunately there are some factual discrepancies between the two books which leaves the reader wondering which facts are correct and which are mistakes.

In 2003 Toontoons published a revised copy of Gary Hogg's book entitled fairly Truthful Tales - As broadcast by Bill Maynard - Comedy monologues from the North of England. In September 2005 Bill penned a foreword in Sue Ablett's book, Telling 'Tails' Leicester Animal Aid: The First 50 Years 1956-2006, published by Leicester & Leicestershire Animal Aid Association (LAA), The Huncote Pet Rescue Centre, Elmwood Farm, Forest Road, Huncote, Leicester, Leicestershire LE9 3LE, England, UK. November 1, 2005. In 2007 Bill penned another foreword , this time in Ann Moore's book, Beginners Please - how to set up, run and enjoy an amateur drama group, published by Eyelevel Books, England, UK. In the spring of 2014 Bill became the Agony Uncle for Retirement Times magazine. Disc Jockey Bill made a comeback to radio presenting in March 2003 for BBC Radio Leicester where he had last worked in 1967.

His new show, called Maynard's Bill of Fare, aired every Sunday afternoon from 2–4 pm for nearly five years, until he was dismissed without notice on February 5, 2008. In October 2014 Bill was on the radio again, with a show named Maynard's Mix of Music and Mayhem, for Harborough FM. (!) Entrepreneur Bill Maynard Advertising Limited, Company Number: 01397788, Status: Dissolved [ awaiting info on this company ] More Recent In October 2009 he made a return to the stage when he appeared as the main Guest of Honour at the Pride of Bridlington Awards held in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Bill was introduced to the audience by British politician the Rt Hon Greg Knight MP, who praised his work and described the actor as 'one of Britain’s best-loved comedy stars'. He made an entertaining and amusing speech and was mobbed by the audience, showing, even at 81, that he was still held in great affection by the public.

Bill's son, Maynard Williams (formally Martin Williams), lived in France for twenty years and while there Bill helped him buy a country house (Maison de Maitre) in the Charente region (possibly Jarnac), the former home of President François Mitterand's grandmother. Bill would spend quite a bit of his spare time there. The rest of his time would be spent either at his semi in Sapcote or at his daughters house just down the road. While recovering from his strokes Bill became interested in the game of poker after seeing televised events of Texas Hold 'em on TV. Bill had played poker in the passed. While filming the Carry On films, Bill, Sid James and other members of the cast would play Seven-Card Stud between set changes. Once he was well enough, Bill joined Maxims Casino, Fletchampstead Highway, Coventry, England, UK (now Genting Casino) and he now plays poker on a regular basis, usually three or four times a week. Bill moved from Sapcote to Burbage, Leicestershire, England, UK. [ awaiting dates and addresses ] Bill joined " Facebook " on June 28, 2012.

Stage Credits (Theatre, Pantomime, Variety, Cabaret) Date

Question: Which comedian and comic actor played both 'the Gaffer' and 'Selwyn Froggitt' in TV series?
Answer: Bill Maynard